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Linux Support For Microsoft's exFAT File-System

02-01-2009, 11:30 AM

Phoronix: Linux Support For Microsoft's exFAT File-System

Introduced in Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and then last week as a Windows XP update was exFAT. exFAT, or the Extended File Allocation Table, is Microsoft's new file-system for use on mobile devices like large USB flash drives...

A new filesystem to be used in flash drives and memory cards, done entirely without considering other systems -- what about trying to arrive at a middle term, decent filesystem that can support features from windows, unix and others, like for example support for saving unix permissions; microsoft says: HA HA! -- undocumented, so that others will stay in the dark, and seems that will be unsupported on most old microsoft OS's, so better not take that pendrive to granny...

Of course the minute microsoft makes crap like this, manufacturers and people start using it, and other systems are left out. Microsoft gets the power to push crap like this on the world via their windows monopoly!

Oh and some years from now microsoft might get a slap on the wrist from us or eu authorities, after the "transition" is complete...

Comment

Nothing new in that. For years now all factory-formatted usb drives have had messed up partition tables, that often will not mount under older kernels. Because M$ Windows "does not support usb partitions", yet when one manually creates a proper partition table the first partition is mounted just fine in windows.

Comment

Booo Hooo, I don't see other file systems bending over backwards to accommodate other OS's as well. So MS makes another FS, so what. I don't see the opensource community making their file systems easily accessible on windows, os x, insert alternative OS name here. If you run 64-bit windows the only option you have is a slow ext driver, Perhaps if the foss community would put some effort into making their FS easily accessible in windows you wouldn't have to worry about stuff like this. I only can dream so far of being to easily r/w to filesystems like btrfs, xfs, etc in windows.

Comment

Booo Hooo, I don't see other file systems bending over backwards to accommodate other OS's as well. So MS makes another FS, so what. I don't see the opensource community making their file systems easily accessible on windows, os x, insert alternative OS name here. If you run 64-bit windows the only option you have is a slow ext driver, Perhaps if the foss community would put some effort into making their FS easily accessible in windows you wouldn't have to worry about stuff like this. I only can dream so far of being to easily r/w to filesystems like btrfs, xfs, etc in windows.

That's a good point.
Also, Microsoft has all the rights to create a file system. However, there are no good reasons to make it proprietary. Actually, the only reason is to lock users to Windows. In a way or in another, at least 70% of linux users also have Windows installed and even MacOS people start to have windows on their machines. In other words, Windows is everywhere and this is what M$ wants. And they have the power to do it.